The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-28
NUMBER 81.
MYSTERY OF MARSHAL NEy.
More Evidence Tending To show HE Live
Ia North Carolina.


es a letter from Houstonia, Mo-, that
contains testimony sufficient 30 increase
the interest in the question whether
Marshal Ney was executed. This is
from Col. Thomas +. Houston, a pupil Of
the old French school teacher i'm North
Carolina, Peter =. Ney. This Is the
Ney whose grave was opened the other
day. Col. Houston shows the hand
writing of Ney, Latin school book that
was his, and tells a very interesting
story. This is part of IL:
The recent articles in the newspapers
have excited great curiosity as 10
whether the old school teacher I'm the
Carolinas and Virginia. Il. =. Ney was
really tie celebrated Marshal Ney, OF
France. | knew him sixty or seventy
years ago, or from is26-27 Ia a short time
previous Ia his death. l was his pupil
from January, 1880. until November,
1888, except at short intermissions dur
ing two or three years, when | worked
upon the farm. He was about five feet
and eleven inches tall, OF fine physique
and muscular power. His head was
large-so large, i'm fact, that il was neces-
AIRY 20 send away to have his hats made.
His head was bald. save at the sides and
back, and there was only "A slight fringe
of hair there, though il grew long and
was combed over Ia partially hide the
badness. On one side of his head, the
left, l think, there was "A scar about two
and one-half inches i'm length, which he
told me was "A saber cut received in hat
tie. IL was healed, but there was an i'm
denture in which quill could have been
placed, He told me he had been tire
panned, as he called IL, and said lac re-
covered rapidly from the operation and
was soon in the saddle again, ready
for the conflict which was raging.
lie opened his shirt bosom and
showed me scars upon his body, inflicted
nj the same time as the described above.
by the shoes of the cavalry horse charg-
ing over him. During the time of my
tutelage under him strong attachment
was formed between us, at least ON my
part. lie was frequently quite commu-
NEGATIVE with me. During the life of Ma
poleOn Bonapartes son he frequently
told me of his intention To return 10
France. and asked me to go with him.
Many times he reverted to the matter,
always asking me il | would accompay
him. Assuring him that ] would, he said:
III make "A man of you. | was not
studen of his at the time of the death
of Napoleon's son, but never after that,
10 my knowledge, though his pupil for
several years after, did he speak of re-
turning to France. He spoke to me of
French history, and said: History says
| was executed, but history is not cor
rect. Ii Is true | was sentenced to be
excel Ited, and was marched out for that
pIrpose, but the Ilen detailed To execute
Ire we e of my old command. As 1
walked by the file of soldiers / whis-
pered: &" Aim high. My old command
always had been, "Aim low, at the
heart" As took my position in front
Of the file, refusing 10 have my eyes
bandaged, raised my hand and gave
the command, Fire" They fired and |
fell. | was examined by the surgeons
and pronounced dead and my body was
delivered to friends for interment. i
was secretly conveyed TO Bordeaux, from
whence sailed 10 America, landing at
Charleston, 5. c., i'm the beginning of the
year 1916.
Col. Houston further says:
lone one occasion Ney, while intoxi-
Gated. lay down i'm the snow near my
fathers house. Gen. John A. Young, Of
Charlotte, n. G., "A cousin OF mine, and
pupil of Ney, then boy, saw him and
told my father. Father sent several
negro men with horse to bring Ney to
the house. | accompanied the negroes and
found him asleep. Repeated efforts TO
arouse him proving Intellectual i con
cluded To have him placed ON the horse
groes mounted the horse, when the
others lifted Ney and placed him across
the horses shoulders. In the act the old
man was awakened, and his first words
were Whit Put the Duke of Elchin-
gen on the horse like sack Let me
DOWN He struck one of the negroes
and they let him down. He walked with
military tread "A few steps 10 the fence,
and placing his elbows thereon, wept at
thn inHinnitN which had haan offered
him. One of the negroes, addressing
him, said: Mr.. Ney, can you rider Yes,
| could ride into battle. He mounted
the horse and rode TO the house without
reeling, sitting erect and dignified In the
saddle. | told father what Ney had said /,
and he told me Marshal Ney was Duke
of Elchingen, which was my first infor-
nation ON that subject, as / did not un-
derstand Ney's meaning. This affair
was never mentioned to or by Ney after.
ward.
"'Ney was good Latin and Greek
scholar and fine mathematician. Phil
osophy and astronomy he did not teach.
History, have understood, says Marshal
| Ney was not, educated. Whether
he obtained his knowledge Of Latin
and Greek during his residence in
America. know not, but i have i'm my
possession his old Latin grammar, pub
llSf.sd III 1910. III Witil hirtib'' ea
large number OF Latin and English exer-
cises, in his handwriting-such exercises
as he used in iDstructing his pupils. In
that grammar-and here Is the book,
said the Colonel, as he sought among a
heap of papers and manuscripts-'were
many of his autograph signatures,
which were fac similes Of the signature
under the portrait of Ney in the history
of Napoleon and His Marshels." These
have been taken out by persons TO whom
the book was loaned, or sent TO friends as
souvenirs"
The Colonel gave the Globe Democrat
one of the few remaining signatures, and
accounted for the fact that Ney did not
make a public declaration as follows;
The question has been asked, IL he
were really Marshal Ney why did he not
make the fact known publicly? III he
was Marshal Ney, and escaped execu-
tion in the manner herein related, his
escape was by the connivance Of the sol
diers detailed for his execution, and OF
the surgeon and officers who superin-
tended the same; and a knowledge Of
the fact that he was still living would
most assuredly have caused the execu'
| ton of the officers who had falsely re-
ported that he had been executed. So
| that on their account, he was under the
| strongest obligations of honor and graft
tude not To make the fact public.
| Again, if his intention was 10 re
turn TO France when the proper time
should come, and know IL TO have been,
would il not been much easier for him
to escape detection and get back 20
France il il were not known that hc
were living: and what could have been q
greater surprise 10 the whole world, oi
struck such terror INTO the hearts OF
those who were opposing the return oi
the Napoieonic dynasty 10 the throne OF
France, or produced such an enthusiasm
among the French people as a military
proclamation from Marshal Ney, at thu